Many portable consumer devices, such as notebook computers, cell phones, digital music players, personal digital assistants (PDAs) and the like may include a small form factor disc drive for data storage. For example, one currently available small form factor disc drive with a five gigabyte (Gb) capacity has a profile smaller than a credit card with a thickness of less than a quarter inch.
Small form factor disc drives are more susceptible to external shocks and other forces than the larger disc drives commonly designed for use in desktop computers. Portable electronic devices tend to experience significant shocks and forces through normal everyday use. For example, a user may accidentally drop a portable electronic device or a user may place a portable electronic device in a back pants pocket and sit on it. If a disc drive inside the portable electronic device breaks as a result of such external socks and forces, the portable electronic device itself will likely be unusable. For these and other reasons, small form factor disc drives should be robust enough to withstand the external shocks and forces associated with portable electronic devices.